International
Immunisation
Fighting pneumonia in Bangladesh
To mark World Pneumonia Day today we are presenting the first of three special reports from Dhaka, where UK Parliamentarian Jim Dobbin MP highlights his experiences visiting Dhaka’s main healthcare centres.
I am currently in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with a senior delegation of UK parliamentarians looking at the work of the GAVI Alliance and the impact that vaccines are having in the developing world. The GAVI Alliance is one of the UK Government’s headline organistions and I have followed its progress for many years. I am especially interested in its work in rolling out life-saving vaccines in developing countries where 85% of the world’s unvaccinated children live. The results have been staggering to date: since its creation in 2000 it has immunised 288 million children and saved 5 million lives and is aiming to save more than 4 million more by 2015. Therefore when I was given the opportunity to see this work in action in a Dhaka children’s hospital and urban slum I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Going into the visit I thought of a similar visit I undertook in Kenya, where I saw crowded wards of whole families huddled together in unsanitary conditions. Medical waste sat in heaps on the floor and sick children ran around the hospital. That was a very moving visit and highlighted to me just how big a gulf there is between the richest nations and poorest.
But, ever since I arrived in Dhaka you can tell that it is a bustling city on the rise. This same sense was evident in the Dhaka Shishu Hospital. I arrived and was met by Professor Samir Saha, the Head of the Microbiology at the hospital. He took us around the wards and the laboratories and explained the work they were undertaking. His team are a pioneering group helping to improve the diagnosis of infections and disease surveillance and to better document the impact of immunisation in Bangladesh. We also met the Government Expanded Programme for Immunisation Team and heard about the great strides they had been making over the past few years. You cannot hide the fact that childhood mortality still greatly affects the country; in fact 55,000 lives every year are claimed by pneumonia. In the hospital wards, we saw the young children fighting this terrible disease, which along with diarrhoea accounts for nearly 40% of all childhood mortality in the developing world. We also saw a the impact of malnutrition and poor healthcare education, which leads to children going undiagnosed and not receiving the vital treatment they need.
But overall it was actually a picture of great hope and improvement. I was delighted to see the progress that Bangladesh has been making in immunisation with the support of the GAVI Alliance. We witnessed a well run and effective immunisation session; heard from maternal health workers about their drive to educate mothers about the healthcare of their children. We visited the central vaccine store for Bangladesh and heard about their checks and balances that ensure that vaccines are stored and distributed correctly.
Bangladesh is just one of many countries benefitting in this way. Thanks to the funding from the UK and other donors such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the excellent work of the GAVI Alliance is being replicated across the developing world. Access to life-saving vaccines has been delivered to countries 10-15 years sooner than would have otherwise been possible. Nicaragua became the first GAVI-eligible country to introduce the life-saving pneumococcal vaccine and it is now being used in 15 developing countries and has already reached more than three million children with another 10 million expected to receive the vaccine in 2012. In fact today, Malawi will become the 16th GAVI-supported country to introduce the vaccine.
Therefore the picture is increasingly encouraging in Bangladesh and across the globe, but there are still challenges. With an increasingly close relationship between the major donors and aid providers in the world we can continue to move forward and provide successful vaccinations to those that really need them.
Good news: Donors pledge total of $4.3 billion to GAVI
The good news in development often gets buried, deep below wars and debt and disaster. But today, world leaders made bold new pledges to the GAVI Alliance in support of child vaccines, making the choice clear for reporters, press secretaries and live-tweeters alike: today was going to be a good news day.
David Cameron, Andrew Mitchell, Bill Gates and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, together with members of the GAVI board
In fact, in spite of tough economic times, donors collectively pledged $4.3 billion between now and 2015 — surpassing GAVI’s $3.7 billion funding gap — setting GAVI and its partners on the path toward saving nearly 4 million children’s lives in the next 5 years.
Some notable pledges from the donor pool:
For a full breakdown of who committed what, visit GAVI’s website.
Of course, as advocates and legislators know well, pledges made do not always equal money in the bank, and so today marks just the first, critical step in our efforts to improve access to new and underutilized vaccines.
Today we can celebrate, though, after world leaders have affirmed with their pledges what we’ve been campaigning on for months: investing in vaccines for the world’s poorest children is a smart, cost-effective way to save lives.
Thanks to ONE members for your hard work on behalf of this campaign. Stay tuned for more GAVI analysis and commentary from ONE over the coming days.
Vaccines conference exceeds target to save 4 million lives in 4 hours
Today has seen an incredible campaign success for ONE and our partners. World leaders have promised a remarkable $4.3 billion over the next 5 years to support the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) in their drive to save lives by making new and underused vaccines available in the world’s poorest countries. This is well over the target of $3.7 billion.
The tremendous response from the international community means that GAVI will not only be able to meet demand for new vaccines against diarrhea and pneumonia, but also make an early start on its next priorities and redouble efforts to reach the poorest children in the most remote areas.
More than 300,000 ONE members took action on this crucial issue over recent weeks and signed our petition to world leaders, leaving them in no doubt they needed take the incredible opportunity to help save 4 million more lives over the next 5 years.
Today is a huge victory for mothers and children around the world in the fight against extreme poverty. It is extraordinary that the success of this conference can literally be counted in the millions of lives it has saved. UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Bill Gates should both be proud of their moral leadership and generosity that has helped secure this result. Leaders from USA, Norway, Sweden, Australia and around the world have lived-up to their responsibilities and secured the future for millions of children.
ONE also welcomed the European Commission finding additional funds to contribute to GAVI, and the Commission’s ongoing commitment to supporting country health systems. We now look to the Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs to give a more ambitious share of the Commission’s overseas development aid in the next long-term budget.
The GAVI alliance is a leading example of smart, innovative aid that really works, supporting families across Africa. Vaccines deliver measurable and cost-effective results.
Effective international aid has already helped put 46 million children in Africa in school since 1999 and more than 500 million people have been reached with antimalarial bednets in the past 2 years alone. Now millions of mothers in the poorest countries will be able to vaccinate their children against some of the deadliest diseases thanks to your support.
Thank you to everyone who took action. We really couldn’t have done it without you.
The GAVI Alliance’s pledging conference – an opportunity to save 4 million lives
I am delighted that today the GAVI Alliance’s pledging conference for immunisations is taking place in London. As a UK parliamentarian it is an honour for us to be hosting such a landmark conference and I think that it reflects the commitment that the UK Coalition Government (of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats) has shown to international development.
For the past four years I have been an officer of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group for Global Action Against Childhood Pneumonia (APPG). Our group is made up of MPs and Lords from all parties in both Houses of Parliament. I have witnessed first hand the impact that lifesaving vaccines, such as the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, can make in the developing world.
Pneumonia is one of the biggest killers of children in the developing world accounting for nearly 20% of all under 5 child deaths. Through the work of the APPG I have seen the toll this takes on countries. For many years I have had close links with parliamentarians, doctors and friends in Bangladesh. According to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases and Research, Bangladesh, 55,000 children die every year of pneumonia in Bangladesh making it the leading cause of childhood mortality. This burden is enormous and places a huge restraint on country, as so many of their young are lost at an early age.
But, reducing the impact is possible as Bangladesh has shown. In 2009 Bangladesh introduced the HIB vaccine, which is estimated to save up to 20,000 lives every year. It is extraordinary that a third of Bangladesh’s childhood mortality from pneumonia is able to be cut from the introduction of one vaccine.
That is why today’s conference is so important. Countries such as Bangladesh need the help of the GAVI Alliance to introduce life-saving vaccines. But the GAVI Alliance cannot carry out this work unless donors provide the financial support they need, which is estimated to be $3.7 billion.
I am pleased that the UK has agreed to meet an increased share of this cost and today we need others to follow suit. We already know that for instance, Australia is increasing its contribution tenfold, a brilliant start to the day! This and other generous help will enable the GAVI Alliance to immunise 243 million children and save four million deaths by 2015. It is undoubtedly a huge amount of money, but donors such as the UK say it’s the most cost-effective they know of. Countries such as Kenya, Yemen, Nicaragua and Sierra Leone have introduced the vaccine and are now able to fight back against this terrible disease and other countries deserve a similar opportunity.
On behalf of the APPG I urge governments and organisations across the world to help meet the GAVI Alliance’s funding gap and help give countries the chance to reduce the deadly impact of this preventable, protectable and treatable disease.
Lord Avebury is Co-Chair of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group for Global Action Against Childhood Pneumonia.
Live webcast – Saving Children’s Lives
UPDATE: A recorded version of the pledging conference press conference is now available to watch:
Australia shows leadership in funding lifesaving vaccines
Prior to the historic vaccines pledging conference, which is taking place today in London, the Australian government yesterday announced that it will give AUD$200 million over 3 years to fund lifesaving vaccines in developing countries.
This announcement shows incredible leadership from the Australian Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, and is a fantastic start to the conference.
Responding to the news, ONE’s co-founder Bono said yesterday:
“Rudd has proven today that he, Prime Minister Gillard and the Australian public are ready to show global leadership, tackling one of the most needless killers of kids…lack of access to vaccinations for the poorest of the poor. This will be known as the decade of vaccines. Vaccinations are cheap, effective technologies that will, with this kind of leadership, save 4 million lives by 2015. This is not daydreaming by activists. This is a costed, well thought out plan, one of the most exciting things the ONE campaign has ever been involved in”.
In the run up to the announcement ONE members in Australia sent emails and made phone calls to Mr. Rudd to help convince him to make the right decision.
The Australian government’s decision shows that it realises that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) is one of the best examples of smart, innovative aid. Vaccines deliver measurable and cost-effective results. They save millions of children whose future potential, creativity and intellect will drive development in their countries and make vulnerable regions of our world more secure.
Thank you to all ONE members who helped make this happen.
With this positive announcement from Australia and other commitments coming in thick and fast this morning momentum is building. Watch the ONE blog for more news soon.
Over 300,000 ONE members call to save 4 million lives
The voice of over 300,000 ONE members was delivered to world leaders today, calling on them save 4 million lives by funding vaccines to the poorest countries. ONE member Carolyn Campbell-Baldwin handed over the petition at the home of the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, who is set to host a vital pledging conference on Monday.
Governments are gathering in London to decide how much money they are prepared to pay for two new, proven vaccines which will help to prevent diarrhoea and pneumonia, the two diseases which kill the most children around the world.
Carolyn, who is also a contributor on UK website Mumsnet, was joined by blogger supporters of Save the Children and UK television presenter Natasha Kaplinsky handing in their petition. Together with ONE’s petition this ensured the combined voice of 350,000 people left world leaders in no doubt they must take the incredible opportunity on Monday to help save 4 million more lives over the next 5 years.
Check out the ONE blog on Monday, when we’ll give a full account of what happens at the historic meeting.
Balance of the G8: The intentions are there, but what about concrete action?
The G8 Summit ended yesterday and here’s a quick summary of what we learned:
For the first time, freedom and democracy are headlining and ONE welcomes them. However, we are concerned that the final statements are primarily statements of good intent.
We would like first to refresh the G8′s memory regarding the $14 billion to help sub-Saharan Africa that is still missing compared to the G8′s promises in 2005.
Agriculture gets barely any attention and it has hardly been discussed. It is needless to recall the grand promises made in L’Aquila in 2008 at the height of the last food crisis: $20 billion to be disbursed by next year. Yet less than $5 billion have been provided so far.
On health issues, particularly vaccines, the G8 has until next month – when the international conference of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) will be held in London – to lead by example. The final declaration stressed the importance of GAVI and calls for its funding. We welcome this support. However, regarding the amounts of contributions, for the moment, they are neither seen nor heard.
Transparency is the real champion of the summit. For the first time the G8 supports legislation to ensure transparency in the extractive industries. This is a very important step. President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and US President Barack Obama deserve to be applauded on this issue. At ONE, we will follow closely the detail of future legislation to ensure that these efforts will not be wasted.
To conclude, despite some positive steps, Deauville failed to deliver for Africa. So will we be waiting for the 2012 G8 Summit in the US for concrete action?
Image courtesy of the G8
Dear G8 leaders, what if the 2.8 million children dying each year were yours?
The Final Deauville Declaration has been made public. It is full of good intentions. Great. However, you must read between the lines to find (or not) concrete commitments, particularly on immunization, from the G8.
At ONE, we wonder if all these good intentions will change the face of the world?
Even if the G8 have expressed support for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and called for its funding, there are no firm commitments regarding the amounts to be allocated by rich countries.
It’s really time for world leaders to take concrete action. Otherwise, children under 5 years will continue to lose their lives due to preventable diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, 2 of the biggest killers of children around the world.
Dear leaders, if the 2.8 million children dying each year because of these diseases were yours, what would you do?
Today, for the very first time, we have two new vaccines that will help stop these “serial killers”. These vaccines are already available in developed countries, but their distribution in the developing world depends on what the international community is willing to pledge at the next international GAVI conference, to be held on June 13th in London.
We have already said it and we will keep saying so: dear world leaders, by funding these 2 proven vaccines, you will help saving the lives of 4 million children in 5 years. It’s time for you to lead by example.
GAVI’s Julian Lob-Levyt talks to ONE
Last week GAVI Alliance CEO Julian Lob-Levyt visited Berlin to talk to German politicians, NGO representatives and the media about GAVI’s work, the success it has achieved over the past ten years, and the challenges lying before us in the fight against preventable disease such as pneumonia and diarrhea.
Launched in 2000, the GAVI Alliance is a global health partnership representing stakeholders in immunisation from both private and public sectors.
Whilst he was in town Julian took a few minutes out of his busy schedule for an interview with ONE’s Gisela Glimmann:
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About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
TAGS: Bangladesh, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI, Immunisation, Partners, Pneumonia, UK, Vaccines